We have compiled the most frequently asked questions about the GründerCube and our start-up support for you.
If your question is not included, please get in touch with us.

FAQ

None at all, all our services are free of charge for you as a member of the University of Lübeck and Lübeck University of Applied Sciences.

Yes, you can!
We will also advise you after you have completed your studies or doctorate.

We can advise and support you from your initial idea to the founding of your start-up.
After your start-up, we can refer you to our network partners if you wish.

No, we do not advise on legal and tax issues.
Unfortunately, we are not allowed to do so for legal reasons.
However, we do offer the event series “Founding with Law”, in which you can ask your questions to lawyers and tax advisors after two exciting presentations.

Yes, very much so.
We are happy to support every idea and every type of start-up.
We support technology-based start-up ideas as well as ideas for a service and part-time start-ups as well as full-time start-ups.

Yes, we are.
Not everyone is always on site, but we have an open consultation hour on Wednesdays from 12 to 2 pm, so you can always meet someone then.
Otherwise, just write us an email or give us a call!

We can arrange this individually in one-to-one consultations according to your needs and by arrangement.
Our workshops and events take place – if the pandemic situation allows – in person.
If this is not possible for you, please contact us.

We will be happy to assist you in drawing up your business plan and provide you with the tools and materials you need.

Yes, we are on LinkedIn to find.
In the foreseeable future, we will also provide you with suitable content on Instagram.
Until then, you’ll have to be patient.

In the Ideas Sprint, answers are found to important questions and solutions are developed for your problem.
And all in record time!
Instead of long months of brainstorming and discussions, we pack everything into an intensive, five-day workshop.
Your abstract idea is put into practice by creating realistic prototypes and testing them with potential users.

At the end of the workshop, you will have a very good feeling for how your idea, new product or service will be received on the market and what may need to be changed.

The best part?
At Gründercube, coaches with many years of experience in consulting, marketing and design thinking are at your side.
And with our large network, you are never alone on your path to success.

You can find out more on the Ideas Sprint.

The idea sprint is a structured process that comprises several steps, such as

  1. Definition of the goal: Determining the problem or challenge for which solutions are being sought.

  2. Preparation: The team or participants are provided with the relevant information to promote understanding of the challenge.

  3. Idea generation: A large number of ideas are generated in this phase.
    This can take the form of brainstorming, mind mapping or other creative techniques.

  4. Idea Selection: The ideas generated are evaluated and prioritized in order to select the most promising ones.

  5. Prototype development: The selected ideas are converted into simple prototypes or models to better illustrate how they work.

  6. Testing and feedback: The prototypes are tested, ideally by potential users or stakeholders.
    The feedback is collected and fed back into the process.

The whole idea sprint process is geared towards generating a wealth of ideas in a short space of time, evaluating them and quickly developing prototypes to find out which approaches are promising.
This can lead to new and innovative solutions that might not have come from conventional thinking alone.

Design thinking is a creative problem-solving method that aims to develop innovative solutions to complex problems.
It is based on the principles of the design process and places great emphasis on empathy, collaboration and user-centeredness.
Design thinking was originally developed in the field of product design, but has since spread to many other areas such as business strategy, education and social innovation.

The design thinking process typically consists of five main phases:

  1. Empathy: This phase is about developing a deep understanding of users’ needs, desires and challenges.
    Teams conduct interviews, observations and other research methods to put themselves in the users’ shoes.

  2. Definition: This is where the information collected is analyzed in order to clearly define the problem.
    The aim is to identify the most important challenges and determine the focus for the next steps.

  3. Idea generation: In this phase, various ideas are generated in order to find solutions to the defined problem.
    Brainstorming and creative thinking take center stage.
    The aim is to develop a wide range of ideas without focusing too much on feasibility or practicability.

  4. Prototype development: Concrete prototypes are created from the ideas generated.
    These can be models, sketches, digital drafts or even physical prototypes.
    These prototypes are used to make the ideas tangible and to test them quickly.

  5. Testing: The prototypes are tested with users in order to obtain feedback.
    These tests provide important insights into how the solutions work and how they can be improved.
    The feedback flows back into the process to make iterative adjustments.

A key feature of design thinking is its iterative nature.
The process often repeats itself several times, with solutions being refined again and again based on the findings from the tests.
Design thinking also encourages multidisciplinary collaboration, as teams with different backgrounds and perspectives work together to develop innovative solutions that meet the needs of users.

Overall, design thinking aims to create creative and user-centered solutions by using a human-centered approach to solve problems and foster innovation.

Design thinking is used in different contexts for different reasons.
Here are some of the main reasons why companies, organizations and individuals use design thinking:

  1. Promoting innovation: Design thinking is aimed at developing innovative solutions to complex problems.
    The creative approach and emphasis on the user perspective can lead to new ideas that result in innovative products, services or approaches.

  2. Customer and user centricity: A central aspect of design thinking is the intensive examination of the needs, wishes and challenges of users.
    This helps to develop products and services that are better tailored to the actual needs of the target group.

  3. Creative problem solving: Design thinking uses creative approaches such as brainstorming, idea generation and prototyping to tackle problems in new and innovative ways.
    This can help to break through established thought patterns and find fresh approaches to solutions.

  4. Rapid prototype development: By creating prototypes quickly, ideas can be made tangible and tested before extensive resources are invested in the final implementation.
    This saves time and costs.

  5. Interdisciplinary collaboration: Design thinking encourages teams from different disciplines to work together.
    This diversity of perspectives can lead to holistic and comprehensive solutions.

  6. Acceptance of mistakes and learning: Design thinking encourages early failure and learning from mistakes.
    This promotes an open attitude towards experimentation and enables solutions to be continuously improved on the basis of feedback.

  7. Adaptation to changing requirements: Because design thinking is an iterative process, it can respond well to changing requirements or new insights.
    This makes it particularly suitable for dynamic and evolving environments.

  8. Improving the user experience: By focusing intensively on user needs, products and services can be created that offer a better user experience and thus increase customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Overall, design thinking helps companies and organizations to focus on the needs of their users, develop innovative solutions and respond flexibly to change.
It is a powerful method for transforming the way problems are approached and solutions are found.

Get in touch with us!

    FounderCube

    Maria-Goeppert-Strasse 1a

    23562 Lübeck

    Phone +49 451 3101 5922

    info@gruendercube.de